A View From The Ridge

I’m looking out of my hotel window at Independence Hall here in Philadelphia: The City where brothers love each other!

I’m attending a Remodeler’s Meeting here in Philadelphia with 12 other remodeling companies from across the country.  We meet twice a year to study each other’s companies and share best practices.

I’m not representing The Roofing Company this week, I’m representing our remodeling company: The Remodeling Company

We’re visiting John & Chris Hanson’s team at Hanson General Contracting. See their work here!

Today was a lot of fun.  We saw a remodel they did on a home built in 1788!  Very impressive work.  

We also toured a job in progress that was a $750,000 remodel on a $650,000 row home.  It was 6 levels!  Things work the same in Philly as they do in Virginia.  Imagine: The original contractor on the job bid $550,000.  When the homeowner tried to award them the contract they realized they were below the actual job cost! 

They refused to accept the contract claiming they were "too busy".  

John & Chris Hanson were invited to bid on the job and priced it at $750,000 even with razor thin margins! 

What if the previous contractor had accepted the contract only to find out 1/2 way through that he was going to lose $100,000+?  It would’ve been another story like I wrote about in Case Study: Good Price, Bad Contractor, Lost the House in Newport News.

As it stands, the job is drop dead gorgeous! I was kicking myself for not having my camera.

 

This is an actual note a contractor left when he abandoned the job.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Ever say, "their price is great! how bad could it go?"

 

Why does this happen? Read this: "A roof is a roof, right?"

 

"Before"

This circa 1891 building served Olde Towne Portsmouth’s Catholic children for more than a century. In the late 1950’s the bell tower was removed from the 1891 building, and it was “wrapped” by a more modern building. Around 1998 there was an effort to demolish the entire structure, but the Olde Towne Civic League was instrumental in keeping the 1891 building from being lost. Their efforts sparked the city to get involved and develop a plan for restoring the building.

The General Contractor for the job, Garcia Development chose RoofCo (that would be us) to do the historic slate and copper work on the roof. We were recommended to them by Architect Richard Ivy.

The pictures speak for themselves.  I was very proud of the level of craftsmanship that our slate mechanics exhibited.  The final product is stunning.

"After"

There is a saying around here "You can’t fake it at RoofCo." It is so comforting to have the talent on staff that we do. It gives us the ability to handle any repair and WHAT WE MAY FIND DURING THE REPAIR.

One of the "perfect storms" in roofing is when architects and roofers get together to construct a roof that can’t possibly work without major modifications.

One such situation is what we call a "dead valley".

Ingredient #1: The architect designs the roofline in such a way whereby the water runs to an area where it must "pond" or back up before it can exit the roof. BRIILIANT!

Ingredient #2: A roofer that can’t read manufacturer’s specification manuals or is overconfident in his ability to "figure it out" on his own.

This was the case for our unsuspecting homeowner below. The slope of the gable ran right into a brick wall where the water pooled before it could exit off the roof. The homeowner has tarped the area to try to stop the water in the picture below. (Click on each picture for a full size view)

We can see where our "ever-motivated" competitor had attempted install a diverter or flashing of some sort to "stem the tide" after it began to leak.

When these methods fail, inevitably some mensa member resorts to "roofing in a bucket" AKA: roof tar.

(I always know what I’m going to find when a homeowner tells me, "I had another guy come out a SEAL IT.")

After all, HOW BAD COULD IT BE? There was just a small stain on the interior. But after removing the drywall to repair it, we find "the rest of the story".

The leak had completely rotted out the sheathing and some of the studs in the wall.

Here is one of the reasons why it’s great to have the carpenters on staff that we do. THERE WAS NO DELAY in effecting all the repairs necessary to reframe this area, install new drywall while the roofing repairs were ongoing. If this homeowner had not selected a company like ours, this wall would have been left open while they tried to get another company to fix all the damages.
Speaking of the ongoing roofing repairs, our crew installed a copper cricket to prevent any "ponding" on the roof. It looks like a small repair in the picture, but for this repair to be perfect a foreman must have siding, masonry, roofing and coppersmith skills. (Your average "shingle banger" roofer can’t do this.  Why not?  Read this: "A roof is a roof, right?")

One of the more tragic studies that I’ve personally witnessed was the case of the homeowner whose house got demolished by a tree during a big storm. After receiving the settlement with their insurance company, they contracted a company to rebuild the house.

 

Without going into all the gory details, here’s the bottom line:

They picked the contractor with the lowest bid. The reason he was the lowest bid was because the contractor mis-priced the job. When he started to run out of money, he asked the owner for more, eventually abandoning the job. The homeowners were left with a condemned house, no money and could get no more money from the insurance company.

They lost the house.

 

 

 

Today this is an empty lot in Newport News. 

See it here:184 Revelle Drive, Newport News

( In the aerial photo below it is the grass in the center of the picture)

 

 

I’m always a bit surprised by the reactions I get from "non contractors" when they see these pictures and case studies.

My problem is that I’ve been so conditioned after looking at these "hatchet jobs" day after day, that the only thing that surprises me is when I lose a job to a competitor because "Bubba & Skeeter" were $100.00 less than me on a $7,000 job. Proper etiquette says that you can’t tell the homeowner what you know about "Bubba & Skeeter" because then you’re "bashing" the competition.

(Understand that I use the name "Bubba & Skeeter" to refer to a generic competitor. If your name is Bubba or Skeeter, don’t email me!)

But regarding bad roofing jobs, If you saw what I saw on a daily basis, you really wouldn’t be as shocked as many of you are.  Here’s why:"A roof is a roof, right?"

The report below was one I wrote for a gentleman in Portsmouth who had his roof done and "something just didn’t look right" so he called me.

A. VALLEY APPLICATION:

The valley is the most weather-exposed area of a slope roof system and subject to premature failure and leakage.

1. Page 69 of the CT MSA specifies that shingles should be cut back 2” from the valley centerline.

a. The shingles on the valley over the driveway were cut over the valley centerline.

2. “Neatly cut 2” back from the centerline, following the chalk line as a guide.”

a. The shingle were cut without a chalk line and present a very sloppy appearance.

B. PERPENDICULAR FLASHING AGAINST VERTICAL FRONT WALLS (APRON FLASHING):

1. The CT MSA is very clear that all vertical front walls require metal flashing to ensure that the shedding water from the siding does not run underneath the shingles.

2. The is NO FLASHING installed at any of the vertical front walls on this roof..

C. PIPE FLASHING:

1. Shingles should be cut to fit around vent pipe flashing collars

2. The shingles on this roof do not fit and are torn in these areas.

D. SHINGLE INSTALLATION:

1. STARTER SHINGLES – the starter shingles on this roof have been installed backward.

A. The starter shingles on this roof have been installed wrong. Written in the CertainTeed Master Shingle Applicator Manual (pb. 149) and on every shingle wrapper is the only acceptable method of installing the starter course:

B. The bottom of the shingle is cut off and the adhesive strip is at the base of the decking or pre-made starter shingles can be used.

SIMPLY “TURNING SHINGLES BACKWARD” FOR A STARTER COURSE WILL VOID THE MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY.

2. SHINGLE FASTENING – The shingles on this roof are improperly fastened.

A. The CT MSA states, “Fastening instructions are stringent and must be followed.” (Page 147)

B. “It is critical to fasten the shingles in the proper locations in order to achieve designed performance. Improperly fastened shingles may blow off of slip out of place.” (Page 89)

C. “Fasteners should not go into, above , or between the self-sealing strips. If they do, the shingles may not seal properly and will be more likely to blow off.” (Page 89)

D. Fastening Certainteed Landmark laminated shingles

a. “Put the fasteners between the nail line, 5 5/8” from the bottom edge of the shingle.

b. “Put a fastener 1” in from each side edge.

c. “Place the other two fasteners 12” in from the same edges.”

E. Improperly driven nails have backed out and torn shingles on this roof.

APPLICATION METHODS FOR CERTAINTEED LANDMARK SHINGLES – the shingles on this roof have been applied improperly.

A. The CT MSA details on pages 149-151 the correct method for applying these shingles. These methods have not been followed on this roof.

B. CT MSA warns: “CAUTION! Failure to follow instruction steps 1-5 below will bring joints too close together and may cause unattractive patterns!” (Page 151)

a. The unattractive patterns that the manual warns about are present on this roof.

C. Shingle exposure should be installed at 5”. Greater on lesser exposures will prevent the shingles from sealing properly and void the wind warranty.

a. The exposures on this roof vary as much as an inch. This picture shows a 6 inch exposure and the exposed sealant strip of a shingle installed improperly.

D. According to Certainteed Roofing Products the shingles have two basic warranties:

a. The performance warranty.

b. The appearance warranty.

E. Installing the shingles in the manner that was used on this roof voids both of these warranties.

F. All exposed nailheads must be caulked to prevent rust and leaking. This was not done on this roof.

G. Shingle overhang should be ¾” (Page 149 CT MSA). The shingles on this roof have as much as 2” of overhang.

E. VENTILATION SYSTEM:

1. The shingle over ridgevent that is installed on this roof has two discrepancies:

a. It was not centered on the ridgeline.

b. The decking was not cut out on both sides of the ridgepole to allow the vent to work properly.

2. Bill Taylor, of Air Vent Products (manufacturer of the ridgevent), states that either of these discrepancies will void their performance warranty.

F. CONCLUSIONS:

1. A preliminary inspection of the roof has revealed some very fundamental flaws in the installation.

2. The roof installation does not conform to the manufacturer specifications detailed in the manual published by the manufacturer

3. The manufacturer would not stand behind any of their warranties on this roof due to improper installation.

4. The discrepancies and flaws are so extensive that no “repair” can bring the roof into alignment with the manufacturer’s specifications so that this roof is fully covered by all manufacturer warranties.

5. The roof must be re-installed to the manufacturer’s specifications.

Once again we are back in the Kiln Creek section of Newport News where a homeowner was "less than satisfied" with one of my competitors roofing installations.

I am more and more reluctant to get involved with these disputes because they usually end up as a waste of time. There are so many of them! Home Improvements have now reached the #1 spot on the customer complaint lists. Our industry tried for a long time to pass used car dealers and we finally did it. How proud are we of that? Pathetic, isn’t it? Want to know why? Read my post "A roof is a roof, right?"

This owner agreed to pay me for my time to write a report to use in court. He also agreed to my hourly rate as an expert witness.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been an expert witness for these types of cases. What is truly shocking is how many of these homeowners LOSE IN COURT! The cases are so cut and dry and the judge is out there in left field. What have I learned from all this?

a) Homeowners are much more ready to go to court since the popularity of shows like Judge Judy hit TV.

b) The real thing is nothing like Judge Judy.

c) Court is a lot like War: Everyone thinks they’re going to win, all sides come away with casualties. There are no "clean" winners.

Fortunately, for my client, the court sided in his favor. As you will see in later case studies on this site, some homeowners weren’t so lucky with much much stronger cases.

What follows is an edited version of my inspection. Oh yeah, the homeowner had removed the siding on the dormer himself to show the missing flashing.

Here’s the absolutely best part: the contractor that roofed this house is also a home inspector.

(We’ll get into my theories on the real estate industry later)

A. SPECIFICATIONS:

1. ELK specifications are taken from the “Directions for Application” found on the shingle wrapping paper on ELK shingles.

2. The ELK wrapper states: “These application instructions are the minimum required to meet ELK’s application requirements. Your failure to follow these instructions may void the product warranty. Under no circumstances will ELK accept application requirements that are less than those printed here. Shingles should not be jammed tightly together.

B. DECK PREPARATION:

1. When the house was re-roofed, the static vents were removed. However, the holes where the static vents were installed were not plugged with replacement wood. This does not provide a nailable surface.  (It is normally recommended that the plywood be replaced).

C. UNDERLAYMENT:

1. Item #2 on the ELK Directions for Application Install states: “Apply underlayment (Non-Perforated No. 15 or 30 asphalt saturated felt).”

2. It is apparent from the vent holes in the above picture that underlayment was not applied to the entire roof.

3. Elk requirements specify that for low slopes below 4/12 pitch (18.5 degrees) completely cover the deck with two plies of underlayment overlapping a minimum of 19”.

4. The rear den area has a slope of 17 degrees when measured with a magnetic pitch gauge. This area was not “double-felted” in accordance with Elk’s specifications. This can also be seen by homeowner’s pictures.

D. PERPENDICULAR FLASHING:

1. Step flashing for the last two courses of shingles on the walls of the dormers on the garage is missing.

2. Apron flashing for the front of the dormers on the garage is missing.

3. Step flashing in the wall between the den and the main house is missing.

E. SHINGLE INSTALLATION:

1. The ELK specifications in items #3-#7 detail how shingles are to be installed using the “horizontal racking method”. The directions state in item #7: “Do not rack shingles straight up the roof”

a. The shingles installed on this roof have been racked vertically.

2. Under ”Directions for Application” it states, “Shingles should not be jammed tightly together.”

a. In some areas of the roof the shingles have been butted on top of each other.

3. When installing a shingle roof shingles are to be installed from one side (left or right) and work across the roof.

a. The installers who installed this roof started from both sides at the same time and when they met in the middle “stripped in” pieces where the shingles didn’t meet.

4. Elk shingles have a “Fastener Line” on the shingle to show where the nail must be place to that both laminated pieces of the shingles are fastened to the roof. The directions for application state, “Correct fastening is critical to the performance of the roof.”

a. In the picture below it can be seen where all the nails have been nailed far above the fastener line.

5. Where the Elk Specifications are not clear they defer to ARMA (Asphalt Roofing Manufacturer’s Association) roofing installation guide. The ARMA guide specifies a ¾” overhang on shingles at the eaves.

a. This roof was installed with a 2” overhang.

F. RIDGEVENT:

1. The ridgevent manufacturer specifies that the end of the ridgevent should be installed with the finished end piece facing outside to prevent weather infiltration, etc.

2. The ridgevent on the ridge of the main house is installed in this manner. The ridgevent on the garage is not and the end is open

G. CONCLUSIONS:

1. This roof has not been installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.

2. A repair is not possible. For this roof to be protected by a valid manufacturer’s warranty it must be re-roofed.

Today I was called out to the Kiln Creek neighborhood of Newport News to repair squirrel damage. Not a common request, but one that is interesting enough, to be sure. Upon arriving at the property, the owner told me that a family of squirrels had infested the attic. In her words, the “squirrel man” had since removed them but she wanted me to evaluate and make the necessary repairs.

I wondered aloud if it was better to be referred to as a “squirrel man” or the “roof dude.” She found my query amusing.

My first inspection was from inside the attic, whereupon I discovered an empty Michelob Lite bottle. Naturally, as etiquette dictates, when finding a Michelob Lite bottle in unfrequented places I handed it down to her and asked if she recently had some work done on her AC unit which was in the attic. Her comment was, “another one? We keep finding these everywhere!” (Maybe it was the electrician, we can’t be sure) If it had been a Bud Dry, I wouldn’t have asked "why?" (as the commercial directs.)

The damage from inside the attic was impressive. Squirrels are supposed to be able to squeeze into some tight places, but these guys didn’t have to. They had gnawed multiple holes in the fascia board that looked large enough for me to walk through (and trust me, this “roof dude” is no “squirrely man”)!

see the fascia meal here!

After getting on the roof, it was pretty obvious how the squirrels had accessed the fascia board. They had eaten the vinyl gutter covers! Who knew vinyl tasted so much like nuts?

After chewing through the vinyl gutter covers, the squirrels had access to the fascia board behind the gutter and chewed right through it to find a warm attic that became the squirrel Taj Mahal! I was impressed that these squirrels were not content with just a single door on their condo.They had a front door, a side door, and three other back doors they had created. Evidently #2 Southern Pine 1×6 is not bad eatin’s either!

MMmm, MMMm! So good it would make a squirrel want to slap his mama!

I gave up on vinyl gutter covers years ago for a more basic reason: they don’t work. Now if I had known all along they tasted like nuts, who knows! I might have kept them around for parties – but I swore I’d never put them on a customer’s house ever again after cleaning out my share of clogged gutters.

The product we found that works like no other to not only (a) keep the gutters free of debris but (b) protect the fascia board from bionic squirrels - is GutterTopper.

The backflange is screwed under the second row of shingles making it impossible for any varmit to get through to the fascia board.

It also has the added benefit of protecting the fascia board from damage from the capillary action of shedding water, something that unfortunately, many of the other gutter protection systems do not do (especially the one-piece systems - sort of like the one in the picture below that we took in Williamsburg!).

Also, unlike the system in the above picture, GutterTopper has a Lifetime Performance Warranty not just a “no clog” warranty like the competition

It does not diminish the water carrying capacity of the gutter like other systems and handles heavy downpours – Tested at 22 inches per hour!

It can be installed with new gutters and retrofitted to existing gutters so that homeowners don’t have to lose previous gutter investment.

(Why tear down a perfectly good gutter?)

GutterTopper can be able to be installed on all types of roofs

1. Shingles

2. Mansard –(vertical shingles)

3. Slate, tile, wood shake

4. Metal

5. Flat - rubber

GutterTopper has a Category 2 Hurricane Wind Rating -110 mph – it’s the only system with certified test results.

It’s really strong! GutterTopper held 300 lbs. per lineal foot (1200 lbs/sq.ft) with 95% recovery from deflection. GutterTopper’s water entry opening did not close.

GutterTopper actually strengthens the entire gutter system

And most importantly for someone who takes pride in their roofs, it blends into the roof and looks great!

That’s why I have it on my house and no one has been able to munch on it, yet! (I can’t imagine what something that could chew that up would look like!)

It cut me to the quick when she said it. All I could think about was, “here is a woman who is in jeopardy of losing a lot of money.”

If she saw on a daily basis what I saw, she would think a lot differently. Climbing on roofs four times a day, 6 days a week, gives me a pretty good view of why it is that one out of seven new roofs leak in Tidewater, Virginia. It’s sad really.

What’s the main reason? Roofers don’t read.

Why don’t roofers read? Because no one’s watching the stove.

What about the State Contractor’s Board? The DPOR (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation) gives three types of licenses. Class A, B, & C. The truth is they’re pretty much jokes. You have to take a test to cut hair in the Commonwealth of Virginia, but not to put on a roof! In fact, you can be a Class C contractor today, no test required! All you need is $75.00.

Class A & B are better right? You have to sit for a test for those!

Sure, you have to take a test - but it has nothing to do with roofing! In fact, before I took my Class A test I tried out a theory. I took the practice test without studying and whenever a possible answer on the test had something to do with paying the Commonwealth of Virginia money, I picked that answer. I passed the test with a 75%. What does that mean? It means that the Commonwealth is more interested in getting paid then ensuring there are qualified contractors working on your home.

(For those who really need to know, I scored a 98% on the actual exam in Richmond)

I can hear all of you now. “Well if it’s not the State, who is upholding the standards in the roofing industry? A roofing contractor told me he was factory certified, doesn’t that count?” The answer is, probably not. Most roofing manufacturers don’t have a factory certification, but those that do only require an open book test. To prove the ridiculousness of this, we have every new hire in our office pass the factory certification of each of the top shingle manufacturers. We then congratulate the new receptionist, who has never been on a roof, on being a “factory certified” roofer. It does help new office people to familiarize themselves with roofing terms, though! It keeps me from having to do the Coach Lombardi-esque speech: “Gentleman (and ladies) this is a shingle.”

In point of fact, the tests actually cover some really good material written in great detail by the manufacturers. I use the specification books extensively. Unfortunately, the open book test can be passed by anyone. Oh yeah, that reminds me, remember the Class A & Class B exam for the State License? It is open book also. (Now a 98% grade seems weak, doesn’t it?)

So, if the state and the manufacturers are letting everybody and anybody be a licensed, factory certified roofing contractor, what about good old basic capitalism? Doesn’t doing a good job just make good sense for good business? You bet! As long as there exists the opportunity to get more business if you do a good job. Unfortunately, if a roofer does a good job, when do you call him again? 20 years? So, roofing contractors don’t count on repeat business.

But, isn’t it true that “nothing goes through a neighborhood faster than someone getting ripped off by a contractor?” Normally, I would agree. But there are two things unique about Tidewater, Virginia. The first is that we have a huge population turnover each year here because of such a large military population. The second is that there is no shortage of home improvement work in our area.

Because of the large population turnover, “you can’t get a bad name!” as one of my more legitimate competitors lamented. The converse is true: it’s hard to maintain a good name. We work hard to be the name brand in the market, but there is plenty of work done everyday by people I’ve never even heard of. There is also plenty of work done every year by contractors who are well known in the local industry to be rip-off artists, but good business practices preclude us from telling our prospective customers what we really know about them.

Plenty of work to be done each year creates something that you learned in Economics 101 called: “inelastic demand”. This basically means that there are few market forces to regulate price or quality.

What this brings us to is an environment where there is plenty of work to be done, no regulation of price or quality, a big population turnover on an ongoing basis to dilute any bad word of mouth, hardly any state regulation to speak of, little manufacturer education and no repeat business. Not a good situation for a homeowner to choose to pay little or no attention to what type of roof they’re getting and who is the contractor that is going to be installing it!

This brings us back to why roofers don’t read. Those manufacturer specification books are actually quite informative, as I said before. We really do have everyone in the company take a test. We also have the manufacturer fly in their corporate trainer and spend an entire day training our installers on what is in that book. The manufacturers have told us that no other roofing contractor in the Tidewater area has even requested one factory training session. I would find that hard to believe if I wasn’t on four roofs a day, six days a week. I see the poor workmanship and the results. We receive over 2000 calls each year in our office to fix leaks. The vast majority of these are from work that should have been covered by our competitor’s warranties.

If our competitors ever chose to read, our entire repair business would “go under” for lack of work.

Thankfully, I’m not worried. One attorney told me recently, “you’re the only roofer in Tidewater that sleeps when it rains”.

I’ll take that as a compliment.